Incident Details
During his second supervised solo flight, a student pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings when he lost control of the airplane. The aircraft veered off the left side of runway 21R. No injuries or damage were reported in the source.
Pilot Actions
The student pilot had been compensating for a crosswind that he and his instructor estimated to be around 10 knots, coming from the left side of the runway. He used a forward slip technique, with the left wing down into the wind and right rudder applied. The instructor noted that the student had previously experienced difficulties with executing forward slips. The instructor attributed the accident to the student not maintaining adequate wind correction.
Wind Conditions
At the time of the accident, winds at the airport were reported from 250 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 18 knots. Measurements taken hours before and after the accident indicated differing crosswind directions but similar wind speeds and gusts. According to the airplane's performance charts, a 13-knot crosswind would have been experienced under those conditions. The maximum demonstrated crosswind for the airplane was stated as 15 knots.
Training Policy
The Chief Flight Instructor stated that he would solo a student in a maximum crosswind of 7 to 10 knots, but only if the student had been performing exceptionally well. The school's curriculum did not set any crosswind limits for students during their initial supervised solo flights.